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Wednesday, March 07, 2012

When in Paris...

I found this stunning sculpture (a replica) in the Paul Painlevé Square, by the Sorbonne university. It shows a scene of the Roman mythology, according to which the city of Rome was named after Romulus, one of the two brothers (the other one was called Remus) that were left to die by their uncle and suckled by a she-wolf! I really wondered why there would be such a statue in there and then I read that there is a twinning between Paris and Rome! And precisely, this statue was given by Rome to Paris in 1962... Grazie!

15 comments:

If I didn't know the back story and happened upon this sculpture, I would think it was un peu bizarre to see two human babies suckling a wolf. Is this where the term, "He was raised by wolves" came from?

I come from Cincinnati, Ohio in the USA where we have this same sculpture in a wonderful park high up on a bluff above the Ohio river. Can't remember the story of how it came to be there, but there is a relationship between the two cities of Rome and Cincinnati which is named for Cincinnatis a citizen warrior.

I was prompted to quickly look this up, as the 'rustic' style of the wolf and the 'Renaissance Cherub' style of the babies are such a contrast.The wolf came first, originally thought to date from the 5th century BC, although it is now thought it could be as late as the 13th century. The babies were added in the 15th century. So that milk might taste a little sour to R&R.The original which Jeff and Alexa saw in Rome has been copied and given as gifts to various cities over the years.

The one in Cincinatti was gifted By Benito Mussolini. Perhaps they're keeping quiet about that!

I've been trying to find a translation of the words below the statue (my Latin's a bit non-existent!)but I can't find anything. Any scholars out there?!! Wikipedia says the Cinncinati copy was one of several given by Mussolini to encourage US/Italy relations in 1929/1931. I'm also curious what caused the gift in 1962 to Paris. Mussolini sent the Cinncinati copy to the Sons of Italy and chose Rome, Georgia and Rome, New York for the other two statues. There's an unreslved controversy over how old the original is -- 5th C BC Etruscan or 13th C Roman.

@Steverino. "I come from Cincinnati, Ohio in the USA where we have this same sculpture in a wonderful park high up on a bluff above the Ohio river. " That's interesting! I would not have imagined that.

@Ozma "If you go to Rome and can bring proof of your Parisien residency, you can get into certain museums for free. :-)" Really?! I did not know!

@Drummond "So that milk might taste a little sour to R&R." - "The one in Cincinatti was gifted By Benito Mussolini. Perhaps they're keeping quiet about that!" You always crack me up! Interesting story what you dug out anyway.

@Carrie "I've been trying to find a translation of the words below the statue (my Latin's a bit non-existent!)but I can't find anything. Any scholars out there?!!" Er... Google translate maybe?!

I tried to translate this but I'm rusty : to reinforce the bound of trust and love by which this city is happily bound to an other one : Rome, this fabulous sign of the origin of her sister form the Parisii of Lutece.This, by this lovely gift, announces obviously to the citizens a long prosperity